


Embrace Your Colors

by elisabomb (kurama3173)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Jesse McCree, Coming Out, Denial of Feelings, Fluff, M/M, Pride Parades, Trans Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22217806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurama3173/pseuds/elisabomb
Summary: Jesse McCree did not have a crush on Hanzo Shimada, because Jesse McCree did not like men.Jesse repeated the thought like a mantra as he smoked his third cigar of the day. He was nearly forty. He knew his preferences. Some people liked the same gender, and he loved a lot of those people, but he just wasn’t one of them.So why, all of a sudden, was his brain stuck on the image of his teammate, fresh out of the shower and in nothing but a small white towel slung around his hips?
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Comments: 13
Kudos: 145





	Embrace Your Colors

**Author's Note:**

> I started this hoping to post it during pride season, it's a little late but that's okay :)

Jesse McCree did not have a crush on Hanzo Shimada, because Jesse McCree did not like men. 

Jesse repeated the thought like a mantra as he smoked his third cigar of the day. He was nearly forty. He knew his preferences. Some people liked the same gender, and he loved a lot of those people, but he just wasn’t one of them. 

So why, all of a sudden, was his brain stuck on the image of his teammate, fresh out of the shower and in nothing but a small white towel slung around his hips? Everyone knew that Hanzo was beautiful, and in better shape than just about anyone on the base save for Zarya. So why was it so damn jarring to see him in that state, water rolling down his abs, not a scratch on him save for two neat little scars beneath his pecs? Jesse chewed the end of his cigar. 

“McCree? Must you smoke indoors?” Hanzo’s voice behind him nearly made him jump out of his skin. 

“Fuck- sorry, if it’s bugging you I can go outside,” Jesse mumbled, his cheeks flushing from embarrassment at being chastised. 

“I will go with you,” Hanzo offered. He nodded his head toward the nearest exit, which led onto the roof of the dormitory. His jawline was so flawlessly sharp, and the way he kept his beard only accentuated it. Jesse sighed, and acquiesced. 

“Alright,” he said. “Sorry. Usually I do go outside, just… old habits.” The two of them stepped out onto the flat metal roof, and Jesse leaned back against the wall. 

“Something on your mind?” Hanzo asked, concern coloring his voice. Jesse exhaled a cloud of smoke, and shook his head. 

“Naw. Nothing major,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. 

“I have never seen you smoke three cigars before dinner,” Hanzo said flatly. Jesse flushed again, thankful for the shade of the building behind them. 

“You keep count?” he joked halfheartedly. Hanzo’s gaze was piercing. Nothing got past him on the battlefield, or apparently anywhere else either. 

“Not actively, but I do pick up on people’s routines,” Hanzo explained. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I will not push you. But I thought I’d ask.” Jesse gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. 

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” he said. Hanzo nodded. 

“Alright. Have a good night, McCree,” he conceded, turning to go. 

“Call me Jesse.” It just came out, before he could stop it. Hanzo’s eyes widened momentarily. Almost everybody on the watchpoint called him McCree. Genji had known him for years, and he even still called him by his surname. Jesse wasn’t sure what exactly prompted him to say it, but it was too late to change his mind now. 

“Alright, Jesse it is,” Hanzo said. He opened the door and went back inside, and Jesse took a long drag of his cigar. 

Why did his name sound so damn perfect in Hanzo’s voice? His deep, masculine voice- fuck. This might become a problem. 

\---

“McCree,” Hanzo called over as Jesse was packing up his ammunition after a long session in the shooting range. 

“Thought I told you to call me Jesse,” he replied good-naturedly. Hanzo let his hair down out of its bun, and shook his head. Jesse’s heart seized. Was Hanzo trying to kill him? Did he know somehow about Jesse’s slightly-not-straight feelings about him? No, he couldn’t, there was no way. 

“Jesse, then. Lena asked me to extend an invitation to everyone. There will be a pride celebration in the city next week, and she wants everyone to know that even if they aren’t queer themselves, that she would be happy to have them join us,” Hanzo explained. Jesse blinked. He’d never come to pride with any of his loved ones. He kind of figured it wasn’t for him, so he’d stay out of the way. But if Lena, and more importantly Hanzo, wanted him there? He could admit he was curious about it. 

“Sure thing, I’ll tag along,” Jesse agreed. Hanzo smiled, something that had been a rare occurrence when he’d first arrived on base, but had become much more common as of late. 

“I look forward to it. I have not been to a pride celebration in years,” Hanzo said. “My family did not exactly encourage me to be open with my identity. But after I left, I went to one just to see what it was like.”

“What was it like?” Jesse asked. 

“Healing,” Hanzo said. “Being exactly who I was without fear or shame, surrounded by others like me was something I will never forget.”

“You transitioned pretty young, right? How’d you get your family on board with that?” Jesse asked. 

“I started when I was fifteen. Truthfully I have Genji to thank, in part. The clan elders originally planned for Genji to be the heir, because of good old fashioned sexism, but he was so disobedient and incorrigible that they jumped at the chance to take me instead. When I told them I wanted to transition, they allowed it only because they wanted a competent male heir,” Hanzo explained. 

“That’s… kind of backwards, but at least you got to do it I guess,” Jesse said. Hanzo laughed, somewhat bitterly. 

“It is, isn’t it? But it’s long past, now. I know who I am, and that is what matters most,” he said. Jesse smiled. 

“Well, I look forward to seein’ what this is all about and supporting y’all,” Jesse said cheerfully. 

“Thank you Jesse,” said Hanzo. “See you at dinner?”

“I’ll be there,” Jesse hummed. As Hanzo turned to go, Jesse wondered what he should wear to the parade. Maybe Lena had a spare rainbow flag he could wear as a serape. 

\---

As it turned out, Jesse didn’t even have to ask, because Lena distributed flags like they were party favors to everyone who was preparing to go to the parade. Jesse wrapped his rainbow flag around his shoulders and was in the middle of pinning it in place, when Hanzo’s entrance into the dining hall made him nearly jab himself with the safety pin. 

Hanzo was shirtless, his hair tied up with a trans pride ribbon, and he had on the shortest pair of shorts Jesse had ever seen him in. 

“Are we just about ready to go?” Hanzo asked Lena, who proudly wore the pink and orange lesbian flag as a cape. 

“Yep! We’re just waiting on Emily now, she should be here any minute,” she replied cheerfully. Jesse looked around at the small group they had gathered for the event. Mei, Angela, Fareeha, Genji, Zenyatta, Brigitte, and even Torbjorn in an “I’m Proud of My Lesbian Daughter” shirt. Jesse was a little surprised to see Genji among them; Genji tended to avoid going out in public as much as possible, but he even had a small bi pride ribbon tied with his usual scarf. 

Lena’s communicator blipped, and her face lit up. “Em’s here!” she declared. “Let’s get going, shall we?” The group of them stood and started to file out the door. 

“I’m glad you’re joining us, McCree,” Mei said brightly. “Pride is so much fun! You’ll love it.”

“I reckon I will,” Jesse chuckled.

“I’m glad you’re coming too, Genji,” Mei continued. “I know you don’t like to go out much. But you should get to celebrate your identity too.”

“I celebrated plenty in my youth,” Genji said. “I am here at Hanzo’s request more than anything. But I suppose I will not stand out too much among the festivities.” 

“I am fascinated by the topic of sexuality, myself,” Zenyatta chimed in. He had a little rainbow flag in his hand, and rainbow stickers on his metallic cheeks. “It is wonderful to see people and omnics celebrating the way that they experience love.”

“That’s right, omnic-human couples are starting to become quite common,” Lena hummed. Jesse swore he saw Zenyatta float a little closer to Genji. “Alrighty gang, I’ll ride with Em, the rest of you should fit in that behemoth Torbjorn drives around.” Fareeha groaned, and Brigitte raised an eyebrow at her. Nobody complained further, though. Torbjorn’s vehicle was the easiest way to transport a group this size, after all. 

Jesse climbed into the homemade contraption first, and sat in the back. His heart skipped a little when Hanzo joined him and flashed him a smile. Jesse had never seen him so unabashedly happy in front of everyone like this, and it was really pleasant to see. 

“Alright, buckle your seatbelts,” Torbjorn called back to his passengers once everyone was seated. “This baby is as safe as can be, but just in case.”

“Right. Just in case,” Fareeha muttered. 

“I heard that,” Torbjorn said flatly. He started the engine, and followed Emily and Lena’s car out of the hangar. 

The ride into the city was only around twenty minutes, and Torbjorn was gracious enough to let everyone out before trying to park the giant vehicle. As soon as Jesse stepped out, he could tell exactly where they were going. People with flags and colorful outfits, all heading toward the main street, surrounded them. Hanzo stepped out after him, a smile on his handsome face. His ribbon fluttered in the wind. 

“Shall we?” Brigitte asked. “Papa will catch up. We should go find our spot in the parade before stepoff.”

“Wait, _in_ the parade?” Jesse interjected. “Nobody told me we were marchin’ in the parade.”

“It was Lena’s idea,” Fareeha said. “Why, do you not want to?” Jesse glanced at Hanzo, and upon seeing his hopeful expression, his heart melted a little. Jesse didn’t like to be the center of attention with a bounty on his head, but hell. He could come out to celebrate his friends. 

“Naw, I’m in, I just didn’t realize that was the plan,” he said. Hanzo’s smile grew slightly, as did Jesse’s something in Jesse’s heart. The group made their way to the parade gathering point, and found their spot in the procession with the help of a volunteer. When they arrived, Lena and Emily were already there waiting. 

“Good thing we got here when we did, it’s about to start,” Lena chirped. “Wait, where did Genji run off to?”

“He does not want eyes on him,” Hanzo explained. “He will be watching from the crowd.”

“Gotcha,” Lena said. They heard a whistle blow, and the crowd began to cheer. The parade must be starting, Jesse thought. He glanced over to see Fareeha climbing onto Brigitte’s shoulders, just as Torbjorn rejoined the group. 

“Hey, Hanzo,” Jesse blurted. Hanzo turned toward him. “Wanna ride on my shoulders?” Hanzo blushed lightly, and Jesse honestly expected him to refuse such a silly suggestion, but Hanzo smiled and walked toward him. 

“Why not?” the archer chuckled. Jesse grinned brightly and knelt down for Hanzo to climb onto his shoulders. Hanzo wasn’t light- he was a solid mass of muscle, after all, but Jesse was no slouch himself. Once Hanzo was in position on his shoulders, Jesse stood, lifting Hanzo high above the crowd. The procession started to move, and Jesse followed, waving at the cheering onlookers lining the streets. Everyone around them seemed so happy, so free. It was hard not to notice, even with a pair of muscular thighs on either side of his head. 

What was Jesse so afraid of, anyway?

What was the danger in admitting he liked Hanzo?

Why couldn’t he, at age 37, realize something new about himself?

Suddenly, the rainbow flag wrapped around his body felt like a declaration. His heart soared, he was among so many others just like him, who had all likely had similar epiphanies. Jesse felt lucky his own realization was in such a place of joy. 

“Hey Hanzo,” Jesse called upward. Hanzo bent forward to listen. “I think I’m bi. Yeah. No, I’m definitely bi.” A brilliant smile lit up Hanzo’s face. 

“That’s wonderful Jesse,” he said. “Congratulations.” Jesse knelt down, to Hanzo’s brief confusion. 

“Get down a minute, I got somethin’ else,” he said. Hanzo dismounted his shoulders, and as soon as he stood, Jesse took his hand. They stood still, letting their friends pass them up, and the rest of the parade filter around them. 

“Jesse?” Hanzo asked, raising an eyebrow in that cute way that he always did.

And Jesse kissed him. The throngs of people surrounding them cheered for their display of affection, and when Hanzo kissed him back, Jesse felt as though he’d never been higher. Kissing Hanzo felt more right than anything he’d ever done in his damn life.

“Watch out for the float!” someone called out, breaking them out of their moment, but their eyes met and they smiled as they continued down the street. Hanzo didn’t let go of Jesse’s hand until the end of the parade route, after they had found their friends again. 

“Where were you two?” Fareeha asked once they caught up. 

“Just needed a sec,” Jesse said. Hanzo smiled up at him, joy written across his stunning features.

“Jesse, do you want to tell them what you told me?” Hanzo asked. 

“Oh. Er, yeah… Well, turns out I’m bi. Hanzo’s fault. Hard not to like men when he’s walkin’ around bein’ all gorgeous,” Jesse mumbled. Hanzo’s cheeks flushed pink, and Lena cheered, rushing to hug him. 

“Welcome to the club, McCree!” she exclaimed. “So does this mean you two are together?” Jesse glanced back at Hanzo. 

“We haven’t had the chance to get that far yet,” Hanzo chuckled. “Get back to us later.” He leaned up to plant a kiss on Jesse’s cheek, and Jesse couldn’t help the goofy grin that split his face. 

He was bisexual. 

He was in love with a wonderful man. 

And that wonderful man seemed pretty fond of him, too. 

That night, when they returned to the base, Hanzo caught him in the hangar before he followed the rest of the group inside. 

“Jesse, a moment?”

“I’ve always got a moment for you,” Jesse replied honestly. Hanzo blushed lightly. 

“I just wanted to ask… do you want a relationship with me?” he asked. Jesse removed his hat and placed it over his heart. 

“Darlin’, I’ve wanted that for way, way longer than I care to admit. If you’d have me, I’d be a lucky man,” Jesse confessed. Hanzo’s blush darkened at his openness, but he smiled. 

“Then we shall both be lucky men,” Hanzo said. “I would be happy to be your boyfriend.” He stepped forward, and pressed a chaste kiss to Jesse’s lips. When they parted, Jesse planted his hat on Hanzo’s head. 

As they headed inside, hand in hand, Jesse was filled with emotion. Love, excitement, relief, and most of all, pride. The future was looking colorful. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3 I hope it made you happy. I also took a while to realize I was bi so I wanted to incorporate that into a fic somewhere.


End file.
